Bobbin handle

ABSTRACT

A multiple purpose handle adapted to be flexingly attached to and detached from a portable item such as a tubular textile bobbin. The handle is provided with features for manually gripping the same, for retaining indicia tags and for stacking bobbins in shipping cartons.

United States Patent Gottily [451 Mar.21, 1972 [54] BOBBIN HANDLE [72] Inventor: Arthur L. Gottily, Pensacola, Fla.

[73] Assignee: Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo.

[22] Filed: Feb. 6, 1970 [2]] Appl. No.: 9,359

[52] US. Cl ..242/l18.3,16/110.5,16/114 [51] Int. Cl ..B65h 75/10 [58] Field ofSearch ..242/46.21,118.3,118.31,118.32,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,589,389 3/1952 Hurst ..242/1 18.61 3,540,673 1 H1970 LAllemand.

2,127,163 8/1938 Davis ..16/110.5 X

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 627,506 8/1949 Great Britain ..242/l 18.3

603,784 9/1934 Germany ...242/118.3

468,139 6/1937 Great Britain ..242/118.3

Primary ExaminerStanley N. Gilreath Assistant Examiner-Werner l-l. Schroeder Attorney-Stanley M. Tarter, Neal E. Willis and Elmer J. Fischer [5 7] ABSTRACT A multiple purpose handle adapted to be flexingly attached to and detached from a portable item such as a tubular textile bobbin. The handle is provided with features for manually gripping the same, for retaining indicia tags and for stacking bobbins in shipping cartons.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures P'AIENTEDMWI r972 FIG.4.

FIG.5.

FIG./.

INVEN TOR ARTHUR L. GOTTILY AGENT BoBmN HANDLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Textile bobbins are not, generally, provided with handles. There are many advantages to providing a bobbin with a handie. In yarn winding activities including drawwinding and drawtwisting operations and in packaging operations, bobbins packaged with yarn are handled and manually contacted by operators at many stages of textile procedures. By illustration,

packaged bobbins are mountedon and removed from creels and spindles are provided with identifying tags, and are packed in shipping cartons. These numerous operations subject the yarn packages to soilage and to a shifting of the outer wraps, causing unravelling and sloughing of the wraps.

Desirably, yarn contact should be minimized. The invention herein provides a multi-purpose handle insert for tubular bobbins and the like that minimizes contact of packaged yarn by functioning as a bobbin handle, a retainer for bobbin-identifying indicia and as an aligning post in stacking bobbins in shipping procedures.

Although the handle is applied herein to bobbin usage by way of illustration, it will be understood that the handle may be used to carry other items provided the handle can be suitably attached to the item in the manner described herein for a bobbin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention comprises a multi-purpose handle insert for a bobbin designed to receive the insert. The handle insert is resilient and is adapted to be inserted partially into the end of a bobbin and to snap or spring clampingly into a locked position within a groove in the bobbin. The end of the insert projecting from the bobbin serves as a handle with slots for manually gripping the handle. The insert has an indicia retainer positioned protectively within the insert and adapted,

to receive indicia. The portion projecting from a bobbin also serves as an aligning post when stacking bobbins in shipping cartons.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The bobbin handle embodying the invention as illustrated in the drawing, FIG. 1, comprises a cylindrical hollow spool 2, preferably of unitary and clear, plastic construction. Spool 2 has an annular, tapered or rounded, smooth surface upper crown 4, and a divided, skirted portion depending therefrom. A plurality of slots 6 extend openly from the bottom of the skirted portion and upwardly substantially the length thereof dividing the skirted portion into a plurality of separate skirt segments 8. Segments 8 have sufficient resiliency or flexibility to permit them to be flexed inwardly by a manual force applied thereto and to spring back to their original position upon release of the force. Preferably, spool 2 is cast as a unitary structure and of a resilient plastic material such as acrylonitrile styrene.

The marginal lower end of each segment 8 has an outer rib 10 formed thereon. Each rib 10 has a flat, horizontal upper surface 12 and a tapered bottom surface 14.

Spool 2 has an indicia mounting frame 16 positioned within the bore 18 at the upper end of the spool 2 and hangs centrally by looking through the slots 6. Also, preferably, the plastic selected is clear or translucent to permit the tag to be visible therethrough. The corners of slots 6 may be reinforced by beads 24 shown in FIG. 3.

In use, the outer diameter of the skirted portion of spool 2 is designed so that the skirted portion has a sliding fit into a bore 26 of a bobbin 28, FIGS. 4 and 5. The tubular bobbins 28 which are to be used in conjunction with the spool 2, are provided with an annular, internal groove 30 that has a cross section similar to-the cross section of ribs 10 on spool 2--a flat top surface with a tapered bottom surface. The bobbin groove 30 is formed a predetermined distance from the end of the bobbin 28 so that when ribs 10 of spool 2 are engaged within the groove 30, a sufficient upper length of the spool 2 protrudes or projects out of the bobbin 28 to permit an operator to grip the handle 2 by inserting his fingers into slots 6, to permit stacking of another bobbin on the protruding spool end as shown in FIG. 5, and to permit a visible view of the indicia in the retainer 16. In carton packaging, the rounded crown permits the uppermost stacked bobbin to be placed onto the spool and to be removed therefrom angularly. Also, the

rounded surface prevents snagging the spool surface on the surface of the bore 26 and snagging of yarns.

The spool 2 is inserted into the bobbin bore 26 by applying an inwardly squeezing manual force against resilient segments 8 to bias the segments sufficiently inwardly for allowing ribs 10 to enter the bore 26 of a bobbin 28. The spool 2 can then be pushed downwardly into the bore of the bobbin 28 until the I ribs 10 are in line with the bobbin groove 30, at which time ribs 10 will spring into the bobbin groove 30. With the handle annexed to the bobbin, the bobbin 28 can be handled and carried easily by manually gripping the spool 2.

One particular useful application is in winding procedures. Ordinarily a bobbin packaged with yarn must be removed from a spindle of a yarn winder, and in removing the bobbin it is almost impossible to prevent from touching the yarn package. By annexing a handle 2 to a bobbin before it is removed from a spindle, an operator, by grasping the handle 2 can then remove the bobbin and carry it to a creel or other desired location with less contact of the yarn package than by removing the bobbin without the handle 2 annexed thereto.

Another advantageous application is where it is necessary to place a bobbin in a deep carton. Without a handle annexed it is almost an impossible task. With the handle annexed to a bobbin an extended reach is provided without contacting the yarn package.

The straight or linear upper surfaces 12 of ribs 10 in cooperation with the same linear upper surface of groove 30, act as a lock to prevent the handle 2 from being pulled or slid upwardly out of the bobbin 28. The tapered bottom surfaces 14 of ribs 10 and groove 30 allow the handle to be pushed inwardly into the bore of the bobbin 28 if it is desired to leave the handle 2 in the bobbin 28. To remove the handle 2 from the bobbin 28, the segments 8 are squeezed inwardly to spring ribs 10 out of the groove 30 and the handle 2 is then slidingly withdrawn.

It will be understood that the handle 2 can be clamped to a bobbin 28 by any conventional clamping arrangement. For example, the handle 2 and bobbin 28 could be provided with complementary threaded elements so that the handle 10 could be screwed onto the bobbin either exteriorly or interiorly thereof. Paper bobbins, particularly, are readily and economically adapted for receiving the handle 2.

I claim:

1. Textile apparatus comprising in combination,

a hollow, integral, transparent, plastic handle insert having a tapered crown portion and a slotted, flexible portion provided with rib means,

indicia retaining means mounted interiorly of said insert spacingly from said flexible portion and aligned with slots of said flexible portion for exposing the indicia retained therein to direct viewing via said slots,

a tubular bobbin having internal groove means for receiving said rib means when said insert is mounted in the end of said tubular bobbin,

said rib and groove means having complementary straight and curved surfaces restraining pulling the insert outwardly but permitting pushing of the insert inwardly of said tubular bobbin when said rib and groove means are 

1. Textile apparatus comprising in combination, a hollow, integral, transparent, plastic handle insert having a tapered crown portion and a slotted, flexible portion provided with rib means, indicia retaining means mounted interiorly of said insert spacingly from said flexible portion and aligned with slots of said flexible portion for exposing the indicia retained therein to direct viewing via said slots, a tubular bobbin having internal groove means for receiving said rib means when said insert is mounted in the end of said tubular bobbin, said rib and groove means having complementary straight and curved surfaces restraining pulling the insert outwardly but permitting pushing of the insert inwardly of said tubular bobbin when said rib and groove means are engaged.
 2. A handle for carrying a portable object comprising, a hollow spool having a crown portion and depending split skirt portion, means on said skirt portion for attaching said handle to a portable object, and means mounted within said hollow spool for retaining indicia, said indicia retainer means depending freely into said skirted portion. 